"i feel the need the need for speed" and you will fly too
Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game sets up impressively with its "CSI" style beginning and each time you start the game you are presented with anticipation and stunning presentation. I especially like the cut scene's before a race, some real thought and dynamic thinking has been out into the presentation.
Visually its stunning with detail on the cars of high calibre, even the dirt when you travel off road looks great.
Once you get over how good it looks, you start playing, criterion have made the feel of play and ease of finding what your after (races) incredibly smooth. Each car handles the way you de expect and the racing it brings is diverse, not to mention hard sometimes. With competition online as you de expect when you beat a players time as-well as the goal you are trying to achieve, unlocking various perks for your car.
Which brings me nicely to how it all fits, finding "jack points" or cars provides you with the ability to switch cars anytime or travel to them. Gas stations repair your car and refill any nitrous, nothing new but effortlessly seamless. Its been critisized for trying to be burnout or NFS, to me its a novel way of racing, you can either flat out street race or add an element of nudging to slow your opponants down (with the relevant reward points earned), points are given for races, police chases and burnout style shunting (on the law too), drifting, jumping, billborad smashing, and various other norm treats you ve come to expect.
It all sounds wonderfully meaty with each car accurate, passing the law and hearing the siren sound and the screech of the handbrake as he turns is satisfyingly fun. the music is banging too only enhancing your experience.
Its fast too, with traffic not forgiving your mistakes, with damage not really effecting your ride but i think for visual purpose only.
I paid full whack for this, rare from me i have to really like a game to warrant its hefty price tag, i can't get off it.
Simply a stunningly wonderful, smooth, fast amount of fun.
Its taken burnout legends a while to get it right but the amount of gameplay here is just enough to keep your motor mouth watering and not get too boring. Each car has a different set of races, i failed to notice this for a while and nearly missed a large chunk of the game thinking if i got in another car the races would be the same. NOOOO some really unique racing here, with most wanted races being earned when all routine (bloody difficult at times) races are won, then taking down your opponent after racing him to gain his ride.
Taking the NFS genre and mixing it up with burnout only better just works, what a wonderful surprise.
Also the vita version seems just as good with minor changes like some detail removed.
AGAIN once playing this a little more its wonderful, so much better than previous NFS's. Some really good end of era ps3 games arriving.